Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], Mar 27 : Former Union Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Beni Prasad Verma passed away here on Friday. He was 79.
Verma was born on February 11, 1941 in Sirauli in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh.
He was a founding member of the Samajwadi Party. For a long time, he served as the Minister of Public Works Department in the Uttar Pradesh government.
"The demise of senior Samajwadi Party leader, Rajya Sabha MP and former Union Minister Respected Beni Prasad Verma Ji and beloved 'Babu Ji' of all of us is an irreparable loss. Condolences to the bereaved family! Centenary greetings and tearful tributes," Samajwadi Party tweeted.
In 1996, Verma became the Independent Minister of State for Communications. He was also given the charge of Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs. He was the Union Steel Minister in the UPA-2 government.
Verma was a Lok Sabha member from 1996 to 2014.
( With inputs from ANI )